Mason jars are great organizers:
They look pretty and
are functional. Line them up
on top of your dresser or
bathroom sink, and keep hair
bands and clips and makeup
brushes in them so that stuff
isn't loose.

Shoe stores will often give
away whatever boxes they
have lying around. Ask a
cashier for some, and use
them to file documents (like
credit-card statements, tax
info, etc). Label each box
with what it holds, and then
stack them in a closet. You
will be relieved not to have
random papers floating
around and won't have to
scramble to find something
important.

Like to keep magazines
(ahem, Cosmo) in the bathroom to read in the tub?
They look sloppy heaped on
the back of the toilet. Grab
an extra towel rod at the
hardware store, and install it
(it's as simple as screwing it
in) within reaching range.
Hang mags over it so they
look pretty on display — the
way they do at cafés. If you
store them in your living
room, make neat stacks
under your coffee table. It
looks less messy than when
you keep them on top.

For less than $10, you can
buy bed risers — little plastic blocks sold at Bed, Bath,
and Beyond that you put
your bed on — that will give
you about 42 extra square
feet of storage. Then keep
your winter clothes and
things you rarely wear in
containers underneath so
they're not clogging up your
closet. To hide everything
(and avoid that dorm look!),
use an extralong duvet or a
dust ruffle — you can get
cool, totally non-granny-looking ruffle-free straight
ones — so your bed looks
bigger and more majestic.

It's just plain annoying
when too many dishes
end up crammed into your
cabinets. Pick up little hooks
with screws on the end at a
local hardware store, and
screw them into the bottoms
of your cabinets. Then hang
coffee mugs on the hooks so
everything's less crowded.

Swing by the fabric store
to pick up cheap, pretty
cloth, and cover old boxes
you have saved using material glue. Put the now-pretty boxes under your
coffee table and end tables,
and use them to store blankets, games, or anything
else you like to have readily
accessible. No one will ever
know they're just cardboard boxes underneath,
and they'll add a pop of
color to your room.